Doppleganger

Last week the big trend on Facebook was to replace your picture with a celebrity that you've been told you look like. Pictures of Lisa Kudrow, Anna Paquin, and Alanis Morrisette (among others) replaced my friends' pictures. I thought the likenesses were pretty good.

I did not participate, for no reason other than I chose not to. But I did think about it. Upon contemplation, I can come up with three celebrities I've been told I look like.

Shannen Doherty

I remember standing in line for dinner at the no-longer-functioning Morris Center dining hall my Freshman year at BYU. A fellow from my ward happened to be standing in line behind me. I didn't know him very well and, being the friendly person that I am, figured I should talk to him. I can't remember most of what we talked about, but right before we got to the food he looked at me and said, "You really look like that girl from 90210, Shannen Doherty." All I knew about her was that she was a bit of a diva, so I asked him if that was a good thing. His response, "Yeah." Um, thanks...

Kelli Williams

I know this actress from the few episodes of The Practice that I watched sometime during the 90's. According to IMDB she's now on a show on Fox called "Lie to Me". Personally, I think I resemble Ms. Williams much more than Ms. Doherty. Her high cheekbones, her strong chin, her big forehead, and even her hair color remind me of me. And it was a total stranger in a Jamba Juice (I think) that told me I looked like her. Good eye, total stranger.

And finally, Miss Piggy

That's right, one of my fellow Resident Assistants at BYU told me that I reminded him of Miss Piggy. I know the look I gave him was one of shock when he told me that. Yes, my nose turns up, but only slightly. Yes, I have very pale skin and have been known to sizzle like bacon on a sunny day. Yes, I can be quite loud on occasion. But Miss Piggy? Really?

Have been told you look like anyone famous?

The Sisterhood Award

I have always wanted on Oscar. When I worked at the library at BYU we were taken on a tour of the Special Collections Department which houses all kinds of cool stuff. At one point the guide pulled a box from a shelf and removed the lid. He reached in and took out an actual Academy Award. It was beautiful. I almost cried when I saw it. My fingers were itching to hold it. Alas, I had to be content with gazing at it adoringly. (When I asked if I could hold it, the tour guide said no. You can't blame a girl for trying.)

While I have come to the conclusion that my current career path is not leading me toward Oscar fame, I am not out of the running for all awards. My friend Krystal nominated me for the Sisterhood Award. It's not an Oscar, but I love it anyway.


And now, per my instructions, it is my opportunity to pass this award on to five fabulous women.

1. Gretel, for being just as quirky as me, which makes you one of my favorite people.
2. Elisa, for writing about your children so sweetly. Your posts inspire me to be calmer and gentler with my own children.
3. Kendra, for showing me that it's possible to be about to have your fourth boy and still be sane. I have a feeling I'll be following in your footsteps someday, so it's good to see that's it's possible.
4. LeMira, for being real. I love the down-to-earth way that you approach everything, good or bad.
5. Melanie, for taking a stand and letting your voice be heard. I want to be as brave as you.

I'm not going to hold you to this, but just in case you want to pass this on:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate 5-10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love; link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

25

This has been bouncing around Facebook for a couple of weeks and I've been been tagged by a few people. I figure that since I'm going to go to the trouble to type this up for Facebook, I might as well post it here too.

And now, without further adieu, 25 random things about me!

1. When I was 12 I decided that I didn't like the carpet in my room anymore, so I tore it out. Without asking my parents. When my mom found out what I'd done she asked if I could pull the carpet out of her room next. I did.
2. The first play I was in was Cinderella when I was in the third grade. I played Cinderella.
3. I love acting, singing, and dancing and grew up doing all three. Now I use those skills to read funny books to my boys, sing with them, and have dancing parties with them.
   
4. When Bryan and I got engaged I told him that I didn't want a stone in my engagement ring. I didn't want to go into debt for it and I was afraid I'd scratch him (or myself) in my sleep. So we bought a $15 cubic zirconium ring that was sparkly. Someone actually commented that the "diamond" was choice. Now Bryan and I wear matching wedding bands. I love them.
5. I grew up in Southern California less than 10 miles from the beach, but I can't swim or surf.
6. But I do love the ocean. A lot.
7. I don't like the word hate. I think it should be used sparingly.
8. I hate peas.
9. I have a recurring dream that I'm running with giant strides around an island that looks like pictures I've seen of Greece. I'm not sure if I'm running to something or running away from something.
10. Bryan and I are both oldest children. I joke that we take turns as to who will be the Type-A personality, but it's kind of true.
11. I have always loved having an uncommon name. I just wish that more people pronounced it correctly.
    
12. I'm neurotic about locking doors. This includes the car doors and house doors.
13. I'm afraid of dogs. Even little ones.
14. I'm also afraid of the dark.
15. I went to 3 different elementary schools, home-schooled for 5 years, went to private school for a semester, and 2 different high schools. Only one of those switches was because we moved.
16. I want a food processor. (I melted the last one in the dishwasher)
    
17. I'm hypoglycemic so I avoid refined sugar. I found out about this after my freshman year of college. I can eat honey, fructose, and artificial sweeteners. Although every once in a while I'll have a brownie, because I love them.
18. A few weeks after I graduated from high school my 18-year-old clunker car was stolen out of my driveway. This was especially sad because I used my trunk as a giant locker and lost many pairs of dance shoes. The police found it a few months later about 20 miles from my parent's house. I had already replaced all the shoes.
    
19. I always wanted to be 6' tall. I am 5'4 and 1/2".
20. Making crafts stresses me out. So does hand-sewing. I get all tense and agitated. Hence my aversion to both.
21. I would eat watermelon everyday if I could. Mmm, watermelon...
22. I'm really good at remembering people and names. I'm also good at remembering dates, specifically birthdays.
23. My left eye is quite far-sighted. My right eye is just a little bit near-sighted.
24. Once while baby-sitting one of the kids I was watching cut my hair. Right at the nape of my neck. Luckily it was a straight cut so all I had to do was cut 16" off to clean it up.
25. In high school a girl in one of my classes told me I had a beautiful voice. I thanked her and asked if she had been to one of the choir concerts. She said no, she had heard me singing to myself as I walked out of PE one day. Awkward...

Eight

I was actually tagged with this by two different people way back in the beginning of November. I know that I'm a little late in doing it, but I thought a post with lists of eight things each would be the perfect way to end 2008. So Beth and Ashley, thanks for the tag!

1. 8 TV shows I watch

1. Chuck
2. Heroes
3. The Office
4. Samantha Who
5. Burn Notice
6. Friends (on DVD)
7. I'm thinking about checking out The Mentalist
8. 30 Rock

2. 8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Happy Sumo
2. Goodwood
3. Costa Vida
4. Old Spaghetti Factory
5. Kneader's
6. California Pizza Kitchen
7. Tucano's
8. Mimi's Cafe

3. 8 Things that Happened Yesterday

1. I took a nap.
2. We went to the library and got a new library card.
3. I cleaned the kitchen. Twice.
4. Peter announced he wasn't going to ride his new birthday bike anymore because he kept falling off.
5. Peter rode his bike.
6. I took down the Christmas decorations.
7. Bryan and I made odd, though still edible, taco soup.
8. The boys and I read books.

4. 8 Things I’m looking forward to

1. Peter being potty-trained
2. Sleeping through the night
3. Meeting my niece. (I borrowed yours Beth. My niece is coming in February!)
4. Finding homes for the last few items that need to be unpacked
5. Spring
6. Summer
7. Having our own home.
8. Eating sugar-free goodies again. (Artificial sweeteners upset Cooper's stomach, so while he's nursing I have to avoid treats. It's worth it.)

5. 8 Things on my Wish List

1. A house
2. Watermelon (This is always on my wish list.)
3. A cure to food allergies so that Peter could eat at friends homes, and school when the time comes, without having his Epi-Pen nearby.
4. To not live in Utah. (No offense Utah, but I really miss California.)
5. Endless energy and creativity so that my boys have the intellectual stimulation they need to build their brains.
6. Endless patience (I’m stealing this one too.)
7. New clothes that don't have holes in them. (We're working on this one.)
8. Friends that I can actually hangout with. Facebook and blogs are great, but I need some real interaction.

6. 8 Things I Love

1. Bryan, Peter, Cooper and the rest of my family
2. Music
3. The library and reading
4. Learning
5. The scriptures and the Ensign
6. Warm weather
7. Laughing
8. Watermelon

7. 8 Things I Can’t Stand

1. Peas
2. That I can't reset my internal clock and become a morning person.
3. Drivers that don't watch for pedestrians in crosswalks.
4. Poor grammar
5. Rachel Ray (I don't know why. I'm sure she's a very nice person, I just can't watch her for more than a few minutes at a time.)
6. Drivers that don't use the turn signal.
7. That Bryan and I live so far away from our families.
8. Parents that have abdicated their responsibilities to their children and don't teach them.

8. 8 People I’m Tagging

1. Amanda
2. Ian. That's right, I'm tagging you separately. You can both answer these on your blog.
3. Gretel
4. Mom
5. Janet
6. Krystal
7. Derrik
8. Becky

And what better way to end than with the King of Eight from Sesame Street.

Happy 2009!